Munich Dog Seller Says State Didn`t Ask Him About Wille Deal

May 23, 1985|By James H. Tolpin, Staff Writer

State investigators spent two weeks in West Germany probing dog-buying by the Palm Beach County Sheriff`s Office, but did not question the Munich dog seller involved in a controversial deal with Sheriff Richard P. Wille, the seller said.

Investigator Steve Kerby would not comment about the trip Wednesday, but said, ``We`re going to be talking to other people, and we don`t want them knowing what kind of success we`ve had.``

The state agents were ordered by Gov. Bob Graham to investigate Wille and now-suspended K-9 unit leader Sgt. Thomas McGinn after Sun-Sentinel stories in December detailed dog-buying in the Sheriff`s Office.

``Nobody was here in connection with Sheriff Wille,`` said Franz Breitsamer, a dog trainer and veteran West German police officer who sold the sheriff three dogs, two for the department and one for his personal use.

Although Sheriff`s Office records show Wille received $5,000 as reimbursement from the department for two dogs, Breitsamer said he sold those shepherds for no more than $3,110, but did not keep a written record of the transaction.

Wille would not comment to the Sun-Sentinel Wednesday, but he told United Press International that he paid $5,000 to dog-seller Breitsamer. He said Breitsamer probably claimed a lower purchase price for tax purposes.

The sheriff`s dealings with police dogs has raised numerous questions involving his buying and selling of thousands of dollars worth of dogs for his personal use.

Wille, who once planned to open a commercial kennel, sold one of the dogs bought by McGinn for $4,000; a second dog with the same name as one bought by McGinn for $5,000; and a third dog, whose origin is unknown, for $3,000.

In December, the Sun-Sentinel revealed Wille benefited financially from McGinn`s dog-buying trips when the sheriff used McGinn to buy him five dogs, but paid hundreds of dollars less in expenses than other buyers paid for their dogs.

The newspaper`s investigation also revealed that McGinn, 56, submitted phony receipts, inflated purchase prices and questionable expenses after returning from three $58,000 dog-buying trips to West Germany between April 1983 and May 1984.

Wille`s own 1982 dog-buying trip previously had received little attention.

On his return, he did not submit a receipt for the department dogs, but instead provided a ``statement of cost`` letter from his friend, George B. Bronfen, an international lawyer with an office in Munich and a residence in Palm Beach Shores.

Bronfen`s letter, which was written as a favor to Wille, stated, ``I understand the purchase was $5,000 for both dogs.``

On Tuesday, Bronfen said: ``This letter was never intended as an official letter to any department, and I`m surprised it was so used.``

Bronfen said Wille requested the letter and told him about the $5,000 price during a birthday party at Bronfen`s Palm Beach Shores home.

On the April 1983 trip, McGinn bought four dogs for Wille`s personal use, two for Wille`s friends, three for the Sheriff`s Office and one for the Delray Beach Police Department.

Although McGinn`s receipts show the four law enforcement dogs cost $2,350 to $2,790, no receipts were submitted for the cost of the personal dogs.

In its latest findings, the Sun-Sentinel discovered Wille sold at least three dogs for $12,000:

(BU) One of the dogs Wille bought through McGinn was sold for $4,000 to Tedd E. Smith, who five months after the sale was hired as a sheriff`s deputy and brought his dog into the sheriff`s K-9 unit.

(BU) A second dog, with the same name as a dog bought by McGinn, was sold to a Niagara Falls, N.Y., businessman, who said his check for $5,000 went to Wille`s kennel. Businessman John Gross Jr. said his wife picked up the dog in Palm Beach County without meeting Wille and then trained with it in a field near Jupiter.

(BU) A third German shepherd, whose origin is unknown, was sold for $3,000 to the wife of a Buffalo, N.Y., businessman, who Wille said paid for the sheriff`s March 1983 wedding reception in Niagara Falls. The man, Harry Williams, is a business associate of Gross and Palm Beach County developer Thomas Waldron, who was recently indicted for perjury and bank fraud.

Still unclear is what happened to the other dogs McGinn bought for Wille and the personal dog Wille bought from Breitsamer.

In a deposition in October, Wille denied profiting from the dog business. ``I never made any money at it, never lost any. It was all a break-even thing,`` he said.

However, he also said he sold only one dog. ``We sold one dog to this . . . Diane Williams up in Buffalo,`` he said.

Asked if he sold any other dogs, Wille replied, ``I don`t believe so.``

One of the forgotten dog sales, however, involved Tedd E. Smith, who installed the telephone system in Wille`s Lake Park house.

Smith said he paid Wille $4,000 for a dog in May 1983 and was hired as a deputy five months later.

Smith, who was unhappy with deputy`s pay and hours, resigned the day after Wille`s November 1984 election victory. A month later, he sold his dog to a friend of Wille`s and received $2,000 less than what he had paid the sheriff.